Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Describe The Worst Things That Have Ever Happened At A Family Function

group of people eating on picnic table
Lee Myungseong on Unsplash

Reddit user youngeuns asked: 'What's the worst thing that's happened at a family function you’ve been to?'

Ahhh, family.

Some we love, some we like, some... let's just say there are usually some family members we'd rather see far less of.


They're often the family members who create chaos wherever they go. Family events with them are rarely going to go smoothly.

But then sometimes everyone is on their best behavior and a family gathering stll goes horribly wrong.

Reddit user youngeuns asked:

"What's the worst thing that's happened at a family function you’ve been to?"

Near Death Experience

"Kid drowned at my mother’s birthday party."

"EMTs shocked him back to life. The whole thing lasted maybe 10 min."

"It was surreal."

~ pabodie

Reprehensible

"Grandma's funeral: my uncle, my grandma's disowned son, came to her viewing in jeans, polo shirt, with his weird wife & and her 'service' dog. My grandpa was so mad that he kicked my uncle out."

"My uncle then went to my grandparents' house and cleaned it out. It took a couple weeks to figure that out because my grandpa was in a nursing home at that point."

"My deadbeat uncle, who walked out on his five kids to marry a psychopath, literally stole from my grandpa during my grandma's funeral."

~ ts1985

That One Uncle

"My cousin was pregnant from a guy who she had only been dating for a few months, but he was a good guy."

"On Christmas Eve she invited him to our family gathering and when we were exchanging presents he grabbed a small box from the tree and was 2 seconds from getting down on one knee when that uncle jokingly says, 'god I hope you're not proposing!'."

"Everyone laughs and this poor guy is in a half bent knee/half standing pose and just looks up at that uncle and slowly powers through it and slowly gets down on one knee and proceeds to ask her if she'll marry him. She said yes and they're engaged, but it was one of the worst 45 seconds of my life."

~ Whimsy_Willow

Turkey Day

"Thanksgiving in the 1950s."

"My dad and my uncle got into a fist fight."

"They were both drunk."

~ Bitter_Prune9154

Surprise

"My dad threw an impromptu birthday party for himself while my mom was overseas—his birthday wasn't until the following month—just so he could introduce his affair partner (AP) to his family behind my mom's back."

"The thing about the AP was she had 'disappeared' in order to avoid a subpoena. My dad had told investigators when they were looking for her that he had no idea where she was and then brought her to this function two days later."

"My dad thought his family would welcome the AP which would force my mom to accept her as a part of our family. Apparently he wanted a whole sister wife scenario."

"For some reason, he didn't think my uncle—a working police detective—would turn him and his affair partner over to law enforcement."

"The spaghetti was good, though."

~ OkWeird80

Cheers 🥂

"Was at my now father-in-law’s wedding reception. They eloped and had a fancy dinner with the family."

"My now wife’s uncle tried to toast the couple several times but no one heard him. My father-in-law quiets his family and says, 'Uncle John is trying to say something'."

"Uncle John says 'to (father-in-law and his ex-wife’s name). Many happy returns'."

"This poor man had nailed it the few times he tried before, but boofed it when it counted."

~ Wafflestarship

For Odin!

"I remember when my brothers and cousins spent two summers building a viking ship and they took it out on a fjord when we had a family reunion.

"Only my brothers and cousins went out on it and after being chased by the Coast Guard, the ship eventually began leaking and it sank leaving them to be rescued by the Coast Guard. It only stayed afloat for an hour before it sunk."

"Luckily they only got slapped with a warning to not build another ship again."

~ Goddessviking86

Let Them Eat Cake

"My alcoholic uncle got so drunk at his own daughter's wedding that he pissed on the wedding cake in front of half the wedding party."

"He quit drinking after that."

~ matbigx

Shower Of Flowers

"At the end of my aunt’s open casket funeral service, I knocked down a floral spray and it dominoed the rest of the flowers around the casket and she was covered in floral arrangements."

~ FeelingSummer1968

Graduation

"It was a high school graduation party for my cousin. My two uncles got into a fist fight."

"Shirts were torn. They were both a bloody mess."

"Cops were called by the neighbors."

"They were both drunk. Party was shut down."

"They didn’t speak for years!"

~ sillylittlebean

Wedding Basher

"My brother-in-law went around telling everyone my sister's—his wife's make-up and dress made her look like a Las Vegas whore… at our other sister's wedding."

"This was before she had to go and stand up in front of a 100 people… she had normal make-up and a normal bridesmaid dress."

"So, not only was her husband embarrassing her to everyone (including strangers), she was genuinely embarrassed to stand up there because she thought she looked so awful."

"Didn’t matter what we told her, either. F’in douchebag. It made my blood boil!"

"It got worse too… my husband told me after the ceremony that he was berating her via text prior to it starting. How did my husband know that, you might ask."

"Her husband was friggin' using voice to text for all the guests sitting around him to hear his insults!"

~ ljd09

Relative Rumble

"Probably the 20 person drunken fist fight that only partially stopped when my grandpa had a heart attack."

"There was also the 20 person drunken fist fight at Halloween.... the one at 4th of July.... the one at Thanksgiving, but at least those had no heart attacks."

~ joleme

Thanksgiving Announcement

"Thanksgiving dinner going around the table sharing what we are thankful for. My brother gives thanks for his wife not kicking him out when she recently found out he had been having an affair."

"It was humiliating for her and embarrassing for the rest of us. For God’s sake, there were children at the table."

"We never went around for thanks at the dinner table again. The children are all adults now, and yes they do remember vividly."

"What the hell was he thinking?"

~ GoodFriday10

What's the most shocking thing you've seen at a family function?

More from Trending

Winnie Harlow; Whitney Houston
PG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images; Peter Jordan/PA Images via Getty Images

Model Winnie Harlow Responds To Backlash Over Her Whitney Houston Halloween Look

Model Winnie Harlow is under fire for a controversial Halloween costume depicting one of Whitney Houston's lowest moments—or highest, depending on who you ask.

Harlow is firmly in the latter camp. But many Houston fans online are furious, even after Harlow explained that her intent was to honor the music legend, not mock her.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump; Zohran Mamdani
60 Minutes; Andres Kudacki/Getty Images

Trump Dragged After Making Outrageous Comparison To Zohran Mamdani In Viral Clip

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he asserted during a 60 Minutes interview with Norah O'Donnell that he's "much better-looking" than New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani—a claim that not a soul is taking seriously.

Trump isn't exactly known to be a looker but he has nonetheless declared himself a "perfect physical specimen" and boasted about his physical prowess, once noting that his own White House physician had declared him "healthier than Obama"—despite Trump's distaste for exercise and fondness for fast food.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gavin Newsom; Karoline Leavit
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Gavin Newsom Rips Karoline Leavitt After She Says White House Toilet 'Horrified' Her Before Renovation

California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and the GOP at large after she claimed to have been "horrified" by the toilet in the Lincoln bathroom before President Donald Trump's marble renovation.

Trump shared an update about ongoing renovations aboard Air Force One while en route to Florida for the weekend, even as the federal government remains shut down and his administration continues to refuse to release all of the emergency funds to sustain SNAP food assistance benefits through November.

Keep ReadingShow less
people seated at bar
Hai Nguyen on Unsplash

People Describe The Most Memorable Moments They Had With A Stranger Who They Never Saw Again

Chance encounters can be meaningful, even if you never see the person again.

Maybe they impart some wisdom or restore your faith in humanity or just entertain you for a little while.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jack Schlossberg (left); Julia Fox (right)
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for HIM Training Camp

Jackie Kennedy's Grandson Slams Julia Fox's 'Disgusting' JFK Assassination Halloween Costume

Of all the 2025 Halloween costumes in the world—from Labubus to K-pop Warriors to Glindas and Elphabas—Julia Fox went with the one soaked in presidential tragedy.

The Uncut Gems actress arrived at a New York City Halloween party in a replica of the pink Chanel suit worn by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy on November 22, 1963—the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

Keep ReadingShow less